Power amplifier, radio remote unit, and base station

ABSTRACT

A power amplifier, a radio remote unit (RRU), and a base station, where the power amplifier includes an envelope controller, a main power amplifier, and an auxiliary power amplifier. The main power amplifier and the auxiliary power amplifier both set an envelope voltage output by the envelope modulator as operating voltages, and because the operating voltages of the main power amplifier and the auxiliary power amplifier may be adjusted simultaneously, symmetry of the power amplifier is improved, and an efficiency loss occurring probability is low, thereby enhancing efficiency of the power amplifier.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/888,507, filed on Feb. 5, 2018, which is adivisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/429,660,filed on Feb. 10, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,929,695, which is acontinuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2014/084069,filed on Aug. 11, 2014. All of the afore-mentioned patent applicationsare hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to wireless communications technologies,and in particular, to a power amplifier, a radio remote unit (RRU), anda base station.

BACKGROUND

A power amplifier is an important component of a radio base station, andefficiency of the power amplifier determines parameters such as powerconsumption, size, and heat design of the base station. Signals with ahigh peak-to-average ratio, particularly, have a higher requirement fora power amplifier in a base station. In order to amplify these signalswith a high peak-to-average ratio without distortion, one of commonmethods is a power back-off method, that is, a power amplifier operatesin an A-type or AB-type state, stays away from a saturation region, andenters a linear operating region, thereby improving linearity of thepower amplifier. However, a disadvantage of the method lies in that adramatic decrease in power amplification efficiency is caused, and undera same output power, energy consumption of a base station is increasedgreatly.

In order to improve power amplification efficiency when the powerback-off method is used for amplifying a signal, the other approachesproposes that an envelope tracking (ET) amplifier and a Dohertyamplifier be combined in order to improve power amplification efficiencyof a signal with a high peak-to-average ratio under back off using aback-off efficiency advantage of the Doherty amplifier. In the poweramplifier, a main power amplifier of the Doherty amplifier is connectedto the envelope modulator, the envelope modulator performs envelopetracking on the main power amplifier, and at the same time, an auxiliarypower amplifier is supplied with power using a fixed voltage. When anamplifier of such a structure operates, a loss of power amplificationefficiency is easily caused, thereby having limited improvement inefficiency.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a power amplifier, an RRU,a base station, which can improve efficiency of a power amplifier.

According to a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosureprovides a power amplifier, including an envelope modulator, a mainpower amplifier, and an auxiliary power amplifier, where the envelopemodulator is separately connected to a drain electrode of the main poweramplifier and a drain electrode of the auxiliary power amplifier, and isconfigured to obtain an envelope voltage according to a receivedenvelope signal, and output the envelope voltage separately to the drainelectrode of the main power amplifier and the drain electrode of theauxiliary power amplifier. The main power amplifier is connected to theenvelope modulator and is configured to set the envelope voltagereceived from the envelope modulator as an operating voltage, in anoperating state, and perform amplification processing on a signal inputfrom a source electrode of the main power amplifier, and the auxiliarypower amplifier is parallelly connected to the main power amplifier, isconnected to the envelope modulator, and is configured to set theenvelope voltage received from the envelope modulator as an operatingvoltage in an operating state, and perform amplification processing on asignal input from a source electrode of the auxiliary power amplifier.

In a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, theenvelope modulator is further connected separately to a gate electrodeof the main power amplifier and a gate electrode of the auxiliary poweramplifier, and the envelope modulator is further configured to outputthe envelope voltage separately to the gate electrode of the main poweramplifier and the gate electrode of the auxiliary power amplifier.

With reference to the foregoing possible implementation manner, in asecond possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the envelopevoltage is a varying voltage, and the envelope voltage has acorresponding maximum value when the envelope signal reaches a maximumvalue allowed by the power amplifier, or the envelope voltage is a fixedvoltage.

With reference to any one of the foregoing possible implementationmanners, in a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect,the power amplifier further includes an upconverter, and the upconverteris separately connected to the source electrode of the main poweramplifier and the source electrode of the auxiliary power amplifier, andis configured to convert a radio frequency signal to a same operatingfrequency range as that of the main power amplifier and that of theauxiliary power amplifier, and output a signal obtained after conversionseparately to the main power amplifier and the auxiliary poweramplifier.

With reference to any one of the foregoing possible implementationmanners, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect,the power amplifier further includes an impedance transformationnetwork, connected separately to an output end of the main poweramplifier and an output end of the auxiliary power amplifier, andconfigured to provide a phase difference between the main poweramplifier and the auxiliary power amplifier.

With reference to any one of the foregoing possible implementationmanners, in a fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect,the power amplifier further includes a power divider, connectedseparately to the source electrode of the main power amplifier and thesource electrode of the auxiliary power amplifier, and configured todivide a radio frequency signal into two signals and output the twosignals separately to the main power amplifier and the auxiliary poweramplifier.

With reference to any one of the foregoing possible implementationmanners, in a sixth possible implementation manner of the first aspect,the envelope signal is obtained after an original envelope signal of theradio frequency signal is processed using a preset function.

According to a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosureprovides a power amplifier, including a first envelope modulator, asecond envelope modulator, a main power amplifier, and an auxiliarypower amplifier, where the first envelope modulator is connected to adrain electrode of the main power amplifier, and is configured to obtaina corresponding first envelope voltage according to a received firstenvelope signal, and output the first envelope voltage to the drainelectrode of the main power amplifier. The second envelope modulator isconnected to a drain electrode of the at least one power amplifier, andis configured to obtain a corresponding second envelope voltageaccording to a received second envelope signal, and output the secondenvelope voltage to the drain electrode of the auxiliary poweramplifier. The main power amplifier is connected to the first envelopecontroller, and is configured to, set the first envelope voltagereceived from the first envelope modulator as an operating voltage in anoperating state, and perform amplification processing on a signal inputfrom a source electrode of the main power amplifier, and the auxiliarypower amplifier is parallelly connected to the main power amplifier, isconnected to the second envelope modulator, and is configured to set thesecond envelope voltage received from the second envelope modulator asan operating voltage in an operating state, and perform amplificationprocessing on a signal input from a source electrode of the auxiliarypower amplifier, where a proportional relationship between the firstenvelope voltage and the second envelope voltage corresponds to a ratioof an output power of the main power amplifier to that of the auxiliarypower amplifier.

In a first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, thefirst envelope modulator is connected to a gate electrode of the mainpower amplifier, and the first envelope modulator is further configuredto output the first envelope voltage to the gate electrode of the mainpower amplifier, and the second envelope modulator is connected to agate electrode of the power amplifier, and the second envelope modulatoris further configured to output the second envelope voltage to the gateelectrode of the auxiliary power amplifier.

With reference to the foregoing possible implementation manners, in asecond possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the poweramplifier further includes an upconverter, and the upconverter isconnected separately to the source electrode of the main power amplifierand the source electrode of the auxiliary power amplifier, and isconfigured to convert a radio frequency signal to a same operatingfrequency range as that of the main power amplifier and that of theauxiliary power amplifier, and output a signal obtained after conversionseparately to the main power amplifier and the auxiliary poweramplifier.

With reference to any one of the foregoing possible implementationmanners, in a third possible implementation manner of the second aspect,the power amplifier further includes an impedance transformationnetwork, connected separately to an output end of the main poweramplifier and an output end of the auxiliary power amplifier, andconfigured to provide a phase difference between the main poweramplifier and the auxiliary power amplifier.

With reference to any one of the foregoing possible implementationmanners, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the secondaspect, the power amplifier further includes a power divider, connectedseparately to the source electrode of the main power amplifier and thesource electrode of the auxiliary power amplifier, and configured todivide a radio frequency signal into two signals and output the twosignals separately to the main power amplifier and the auxiliary poweramplifier.

With reference to any one of the foregoing possible implementationmanners, in a fifth possible implementation manner of the second aspect,the first envelope signal and the second envelope signal are obtainedafter an original envelope signal of the radio frequency signal isprocessed using the same function or different functions.

According to a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosureprovides an RRU, including the power amplifier provided in the firstaspect or the second aspect.

According to a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosureprovides a base station, including the RRU provided in the third aspect.

Using the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, an envelope modulator in a power amplifier processes anenvelope signal of an adjusted radio frequency signal to obtain anenvelope voltage, and a main power amplifier and an auxiliary poweramplifier both use the envelope voltage output by the envelope modulatoras operating voltages. Because the operating voltages of the main poweramplifier and the auxiliary power amplifier may be adjustedsimultaneously, symmetry of the power amplifier is improved, and thereis a low probability that an efficiency loss occurs. Therefore, using anefficiency advantage of a Doherty amplifier under power back-off, and incombination with an envelope tracking technology, saturation power ofthe power amplifier can be improved, thereby enhancing efficiency of thepower amplifier. Particularly, high efficiency may be reached when asignal with high power and with a high peak-to-average ratio isamplified.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

To make the technical solution of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure clearer, the accompanying drawings for illustrating theembodiments of the present disclosure are briefly described below. Theaccompanying drawings illustrate some exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure only, and persons having ordinary skill in the artcan derive other drawings from such accompanying drawings without anycreative effort.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a power amplifier accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a power amplifier accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a power amplifier accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a power amplifier accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of another power amplifieraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of still another poweramplifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an RRU according to anembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a base station according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of theembodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the following clearlydescribes the technical solutions in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings in theembodiments of the present disclosure. The described embodiments aresome but not all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All otherembodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based onthe embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts shallfall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Various technologies described in this specification may be applied tovarious communications systems, including second generation (2G) andthird generation (3G) communications systems and a next-generationcommunications system, for example, the 2G communications system such asa Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), the 3G communicationssystem such as Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and TimeDivision-Synchronization Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), andthe next-generation communications system such as a Long-Term Evolution(LTE) communications system, and a subsequent evolved system thereof.

A power amplifier provided in the embodiments of the present disclosuremay be integrated in any network element device such as a base station,which needs to amplify power of a wireless signal. The power amplifierprovided in the embodiments of the present disclosure may operate in aradio frequency part of the base station, for example, the poweramplifier may be disposed in an RRU of the base station. The basestation may be a base transceiver station (BTS) in a GSM system or in acode division multiple access (CDMA) system, or a Node B in a WCDMAsystem, or an evolved NodeB (e-NodeB) in an LTE system, or a similardevice in an evolved communications system of LTE.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a power amplifier accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the power amplifier provided in this embodiment ofthe present disclosure includes an envelope modulator 101, a main poweramplifier 102, and an auxiliary power amplifier 103.

The envelope modulator 101 is connected separately to a drain electrode(D end) of the main power amplifier 102 and a drain electrode of thepower amplifier 103, and is configured to obtain a correspondingenvelope voltage according to an envelope signal, and separately outputthe envelope voltage to the main power amplifier 102 and the auxiliarypower amplifier 103.

The envelope signal is a signal that may be used to track an operatingvoltage of the main power amplifier 102, that is, when an amplitude ofthe envelope signal is greater than a threshold, the envelope modulator101 generates an envelope voltage that may vary with an amplitude sizeof the envelope signal, to replace a fixed voltage to supply powerseparately to the main power amplifier 102 and the auxiliary poweramplifier 103. An operating voltage of the power amplifier varies withthe envelope signal such that the main power amplifier 102 may be alwaysin a near-saturation operating state.

The envelope signal may be obtained after an original envelope signal ofa radio frequency signal waiting for signal amplification is processedusing a function, where the function converting the original envelopesignal into the envelope signal may be preset according to a requirementsuch as the amplitude and a phase of the output envelope signal. Forexample, the function may be a linear function, a quadratic function, acubic function, or the like, which is not limited in the presentdisclosure. Optionally, the envelope signal may be generated by an RRU,or the like, and is input into the envelope modulator 101.

Optionally, the envelope modulator 101 may determine an amplitude of theforegoing envelope voltage according to a modulator control signal. Aparameter such as a type, a phase, or an amplitude of the modulatorcontrol signal may be determined according to performance of anamplifier and may be adjusted according to an operating condition of theamplifier, which is not limited in this embodiment of the presentdisclosure. A digital signal may be used as the modulator controlsignal.

Optionally, the foregoing modulator control signal may be generated byan RRU, or the like, and is input into the envelope modulator 101, whichis not limited in this embodiment of the present disclosure.

The radio frequency signal to be amplified may be obtained by convertinga baseband data signal. For a specific conversion process, reference maybe made to the other approaches, and details are not described herein.For example, in a distributed base station, a radio frequency signal tobe amplified may be generated after a baseband data signal is processedusing an intermediate frequency module and a transceiver module of anRRU, and transmitted separately to the main power amplifier 102 and theauxiliary power amplifier 103 in the power amplifier provided in thisembodiment of the present disclosure.

Optionally, the envelope modulator 101 may compare the amplitude of theenvelope signal with a signal threshold, and the envelope voltage is setto a fixed voltage when the amplitude of the envelope signal is lessthan the signal threshold, where a value of the fixed voltage may bedetermined and adjusted according to the foregoing modulator controlsignal, or the envelope voltage is set to a varying voltage when theamplitude of the envelope signal is greater than the signal threshold,where the varying voltage varies with the amplitude of the envelopesignal. The envelope voltage also has a corresponding maximum voltagevalue when the envelope signal reaches a maximum value allowed by thepower amplifier.

The foregoing signal threshold may be predetermined, within an operatingvoltage range allowed by the amplifier, according to a requirement, andis adjusted according to an operating condition of a system, which isnot limited in this embodiment of the present disclosure.

The main power amplifier 102 is connected to the envelope modulator 101and is configured to set the foregoing envelope voltage received fromthe envelope modulator 101 as an operating voltage in an operatingstate, and perform amplification processing on a signal input from asource electrode (S end).

The auxiliary power amplifier 103 is parallelly connected to the mainpower amplifier 102, is connected to the envelope modulator 101, and isconfigured to set the foregoing envelope voltage received from theenvelope modulator 101 as an operating voltage in an operating state,and perform amplification processing on a signal input from a sourceelectrode.

It may be understood that the signals input from the source electrodesof the main power amplifier 102 and the auxiliary power amplifier 103may be a same radio frequency signal, or may also be signals that canrepresent a same radio frequency signal after being overlapped.

Optionally, a same fixed voltage is input into the main power amplifier102 and the auxiliary power amplifier 103 as an operating voltage whenthe envelope signal is less than a preset threshold. In this case, thepower amplifier provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure isequivalent to a standard Doherty amplifier, and in this operating mode,the power amplifier may implement power amplification of a radiofrequency signal with a wide bandwidth, of modulation signals. A samevarying voltage that varies with the amplitude of the envelope signal isinput into the main power amplifier 102 and the auxiliary poweramplifier 103 as an operating voltage when the envelope signal isgreater than the preset threshold. In this case, the power amplifier isa Doherty amplifier using envelope tracking, that is, the poweramplifier operates in a cooperative state of the envelope tracking andthe Doherty amplifier, and in this operating mode, the power amplifierhas a good amplification effect for a modulation signal of high powerand of a high peak-to-average ratio.

Further, the envelope modulator 101 is separately connected to the drainelectrodes of the main power amplifier 102 and the auxiliary poweramplifier 103. The envelope voltage obtained by being processed by theenvelope modulator 101 is input separately from the drain electrodes ofthe main power amplifier 102 and the auxiliary power amplifier 103, andis used as the operating voltage of the drain electrodes, to supplypower for the main power amplifier 102 and the auxiliary power amplifier103.

It may be understood that under control of a gate voltage, regardless ofwhether the operating voltages of the drain electrodes are fixedvoltages or are varying voltages, the main power amplifier 102 is alwaysbiased in an AB-type operating state, and the auxiliary power amplifier103 is always biased in a C-type operating state.

Optionally, as another embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown inFIG. 2, an envelope modulator 101 may further be separately connected toa gate electrode (G end) of a main power amplifier 102 and a G end of anauxiliary power amplifier 103, and outputs an envelope voltageseparately to the gate electrodes of the main power amplifier 102 andthe auxiliary power amplifier 103 in order to assist in controlling,using the envelope voltage as a gate voltage, operating states of themain power amplifier 102 and the auxiliary power amplifier 103, therebyfurther adjusting a power amplification gain, and improving poweramplification performance.

In an actual implementation, the envelope modulator 101 may be a unitcircuit that includes circuit components known in other approaches,where composition of a specific circuit of the envelope modulator is notlimited in this embodiment of the present disclosure.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 2, as another embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the power amplifier may further include an upconverter 105,separately connected to a main power amplifier 102 and an auxiliarypower amplifier 103, and configured to convert a radio frequency signalto a same operating frequency range as that of the main power amplifier102 and that of the auxiliary power amplifier 103.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 2, the power amplifier may further includea power divider 106, connected separately to the upconverter 105, themain power amplifier 102, and the auxiliary power amplifier 103, andconfigured to divide a radio frequency signal into two signals having asame or different energy, and output the two signals separately to themain power amplifier 102 and the auxiliary power amplifier 103 forsignal amplification.

Optionally, as another embodiment of the present disclosure, the poweramplifier may include an envelope modulator 101, a main power amplifier102, an auxiliary power amplifier 103, and a power divider 106, wherethe power divider 106 directly receives a radio frequency signal,divides the radio frequency signal and then outputs signals obtainedafter division separately to the main power amplifier 102 and theauxiliary power amplifier 103.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 2, an output end of the main poweramplifier 102 and an output end of the auxiliary power amplifier 103 maybe connected to an impedance transformation network 104, and a radiofrequency signal after signal amplification reaches, after beingprocessed by the impedance transformation network 104, a combined outputend of the power amplifier. The impedance transformation network 104 isconfigured to perform an impedance match between the main poweramplifier 102 and the auxiliary power amplifier 103, that is, to providea phase difference between the two. The impedance transformation network104 may include a microstrip impedance transformation network, a bridgeimpedance transformation network, or any other impedance transformationnetwork, which is not limited in this embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Optionally, in another embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown inFIG. 3, a power amplifier includes an envelope modulator 101, a mainpower amplifier 102, an auxiliary power amplifier 103, an upconverter105, and a power divider 106, where the upconverter 105 and the powerdivider 106 are optional components. The power amplifier may furtherinclude three one-fourth wavelength (λ/4) transmission lines 104′, whereone is disposed between source electrodes, that is, signal input ends ofthe main power amplifier 102 and the auxiliary power amplifier 103, oneis disposed between signal output ends of the main power amplifier 102and the auxiliary power amplifier 103, and another one is disposed at acombined output end of the main power amplifier 102 and the auxiliarypower amplifier 103. The λ/4 transmission line 104′ has a functionsimilar to that of an impedance transformation network 104, and canprovide a phase difference between the main power amplifier 102 and theauxiliary power amplifier 103.

In an actual implementation, when a Doherty power amplifier part in thepower amplifier provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure isdesigned, any of the foregoing various connecting manners may be usedsuch that a composition form of the power amplifier provided in thepresent disclosure is flexible, and may be selected according to aperformance requirement of the system.

In the actual implementation, the main power amplifier 102 and theauxiliary power amplifier 103 may include one or more transistors orother similar circuit components. A person of ordinary skill in the artmay realize that the main power amplifier 102 and the auxiliary poweramplifier 103 may be implemented using any other semiconductortechnologies known in other approaches, which is not limited in thisembodiment of the present disclosure.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 4, in another embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a power amplifier includes an envelope modulator 101, a mainpower amplifier 102, an auxiliary power amplifier 103, an impedancetransformation network 104, and upconverters 105. The impedancetransformation network 104 may be replaced with three λ/4 transmissionlines. For details, reference may be made to description of theembodiment shown in FIG. 3.

The power amplifier may further include two independent signaltransmission lines separately corresponding to the main power amplifier102 and the auxiliary power amplifier 103. Further, a radio frequencysignal may be divided in advance into a first radio frequency signal anda second radio frequency signal, which are output separately to the mainpower amplifier 102 and the auxiliary power amplifier 103 using the twoindependent signal transmission lines, and then combined and outputafter signal amplification. An upconverter 105 may be disposed in eachsignal transmission line, which is referred to as a first upconverter ora second upconverter. Further, the first radio frequency signal may beoutput to the main power amplifier 102 after being converted by thefirst upconverter 105, and the second radio frequency signal may beoutput to the auxiliary power amplifier 103 after being converted by thesecond upconverter 105. The first radio frequency signal and the secondradio frequency signal are relevant signals, represent the same basebanddata signal, and have a same time delay. After conversion, phases and/oramplitudes of the two signals may be different, and the amplitudes andthe phases may be controlled separately. A person skilled in the art mayselect a suitable signal dividing manner according to a designrequirement of a system, which is not limited in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Using the power amplifier provided in this embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a main power amplifier 102 and an auxiliary power amplifier103 both use an envelope voltage output by an envelope modulator 101 asoperating voltages, and the envelope voltage is a fixed voltage suchthat the power amplifier operates in an ordinary Doherty amplifier modewhen an envelope signal is less than a preset threshold, or the envelopevoltage varies with an amplitude of the envelope signal when theenvelope signal is greater than a preset threshold such that the poweramplifier operates in an envelope tracking Doherty amplifier mode.Because the operating voltages of the main power amplifier 102 and theauxiliary power amplifier 103 may be adjusted simultaneously, symmetryof the power amplifier is improved, and there is a low probability thatan efficiency loss occurs. Using an efficiency advantage of a Dohertyamplifier under power back-off, and in combination with an envelopetracking technology, saturation power of power amplification isimproved, thereby enhancing efficiency of the power amplifier.Particularly, in an operating state in which a signal of high power andof a high peak-to-average ratio is amplified, high efficiency may bereached.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of another power amplifieraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 5, the power amplifier provided in this embodiment ofthe present disclosure includes an envelope modulator 201, a main poweramplifier 202, and A auxiliary power amplifiers 203, where A is greaterthan or equal to 2, and A is an integer.

The power amplifier may further include an impedance transformationnetwork 204, an upconverter 205, and a power divider 206. It may beunderstood that optional functional modules listed in embodiments shownin FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 are also applicable to a structure of the embodimentshown in FIG. 5. For example, the impedance transformation network 204may be replaced with a plurality of λ/4 transmission lines, includingthat a λ/4 transmission line is disposed separately between a sourceelectrode of the main power amplifier 202 and a source electrode of eachauxiliary power amplifier 203, a λ/4 transmission line is disposedseparately between a signal output end of the main power amplifier 202and a signal output end of each auxiliary power amplifier 203, and a λ/4transmission line is disposed at a combined output end of the main poweramplifier 202 and the A auxiliary power amplifiers 203, and the powerdivider 206 may be replaced with two independent signal transmissionlines separately corresponding to the main power amplifier 202 and the Aauxiliary power amplifiers 203, where the main power amplifier 202receives a radio frequency signal, and the A auxiliary power amplifiers203 receive the other radio frequency signal. A person skilled in theart may select to use according to an actual need, which is not limitedin this embodiment of the present disclosure. The structure shown inFIG. 5 is only an optional implementation solution.

A D end of the main power amplifier 202 and D ends of the A auxiliarypower amplifiers 203 are connected separately to the envelope modulator201, and the main power amplifier 202 and the A auxiliary poweramplifiers 203 receive a same envelope voltage separately from theenvelope modulator 201 as operating voltages, for performingamplification processing on a radio frequency signal.

In the power amplifier, the envelope modulator 201 may further beconnected separately to a G end of the main power amplifier 202 and Gends of the A auxiliary power amplifiers 203 in order to assist incontrolling, using the envelope voltage output by the envelope modulator201 as a gate voltage, operating states of the main power amplifier andthe auxiliary power amplifiers, thereby further adjusting a poweramplification gain, and improving power amplification performance.

It may be understood that a quantity of the auxiliary power amplifiersmay be determined according to a system requirement, that is, a Dohertyamplifier part in the power amplifier provided in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure may be a multi-channel Doherty power amplifier shownin FIG. 3, which may include two or more auxiliary power amplifiers.

During an actual application, an implementation manner of the Dohertyamplifier part in the power amplifier provided in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure is not limited, and in addition to a structure of themulti-channel Doherty amplifier, a structure inverse to that of theDoherty amplifier may be designed, which is not limited in thisembodiment of the present disclosure.

For description brevity, for description about a detailed structure, andconnection relationships between and functions of modules of the poweramplifier provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, reference may bemade to related content of the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4,which is not described herein in detail.

Using the power amplifier provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5,because the quantity of the auxiliary power amplifiers increases, largeroutput power may be generated, and device performance is furtherimproved.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of still another poweramplifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 6, the power amplifier provided in this embodiment ofthe present disclosure includes a first envelope modulator 3011, asecond envelope modulator 3012, a main power amplifier 302, and Bauxiliary power amplifiers 303, where B is greater than or equal to 1,and B is an integer, where the first envelope modulator 3011 isconnected to a D end of the main power amplifier 302, the secondenvelope modulator 3012 is separately connected to drain electrodes ofthe B auxiliary power amplifiers 303, and the main power amplifier 302is parallelly connected to the B auxiliary power amplifiers 303.

In the power amplifier, the first envelope modulator 3011 may further beconnected to a G end of the main power amplifier 302 and the secondenvelope modulator 3012 may further be separately connected to gateelectrodes of the B auxiliary power amplifiers 302 in order to assist incontrolling, using envelope voltages output by the envelope modulators3011 and 3012 as gate voltages, operating states of the main poweramplifier 302 and the auxiliary power amplifiers 303, thereby furtheradjusting a power amplification gain, and improving power amplificationperformance.

The power amplifier may further include an impedance transformationnetwork 304, an upconverter 305, and a power divider 306, and connectionrelationships are shown in FIG. 6. It may be understood that optionalfunctional modules listed in embodiments shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 arealso applicable to a structure of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6. Forexample, the impedance transformation network 304 may be replaced with aplurality of λ/4 transmission lines, including that a λ/4 transmissionline is disposed separately between a source electrode of the main poweramplifier 302 and a source electrode of each auxiliary power amplifier303, a λ/4 transmission line is disposed separately between a signaloutput end of the main power amplifier 302 and a signal output end ofeach auxiliary power amplifier 303, and a λ/4 transmission line isdisposed at a combined output end of the main power amplifier 302 andthe B auxiliary power amplifiers 303, and the power divider 306 may bereplaced with two independent signal transmission lines separatelycorresponding to the main power amplifier 302 and the B auxiliary poweramplifiers 303. A person skilled in the art may select to use accordingto an actual need, which is not limited in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The structure shown in FIG. 6 is only an optionalimplementation solution.

The first envelope modulator 3011 is configured to receive a firstenvelope signal, obtain a first envelope voltage according to the firstenvelope signal, and output the first envelope voltage to the main poweramplifier 302, and the main power amplifier 302 performs, using thefirst envelope voltage as an operating voltage, amplification processingon a signal input from an S end.

The second envelope modulator 3012 is configured to receive a secondenvelope signal, obtain a second envelope voltage according to thesecond envelope signal, and output the second envelope voltage to the Bauxiliary power amplifiers 303, and the B auxiliary power amplifiers 303perform, using the second envelope voltage as operating voltages,amplification processing on a signal input from source electrodes.

Optionally, the first envelope signal and the second envelope signal maybe generated by an RRU, or the like, and are respectively input into thefirst envelope modulator 3011 and the second envelope modulator 3012.

It may be understood that the signals input from the source electrodesof the main power amplifier 302 and the B auxiliary power amplifiers 303may be a same radio frequency signal to be amplified, or signals thatcan represent a same radio frequency signal to be amplified after beingoverlapped.

Optionally, the first envelope modulator 3011 may process, under controlof a first modulator control signal, the first envelope signal to obtainthe first envelope voltage, and the second envelope modulator 3012 mayprocess, under control of a second modulator control signal, the secondenvelope signal to obtain the second envelope voltage.

Optionally, by adjusting the first modulator control signal and thesecond modulator control signal, a proportional relationship between thefirst envelope voltage and the second envelope voltage may correspond toa ratio of an output power of the main power amplifier 302 to those ofthe B auxiliary power amplifiers 303. Further, according to an expectedratio of an operating voltage of the main power amplifier 302 to thoseof the B auxiliary power amplifiers 303, a suitable first modulatorcontrol signal and second modulator control signal are set such that aratio of a first envelope voltage output by the first envelope modulator3011 and supplied for the main power amplifier 302 to a second envelopevoltage output by the second envelope modulator 3012 and supplied forthe B auxiliary power amplifiers 303 may be controlled to be equal orcorresponding to the foregoing output power ratio, to ensure that aratio of an operating voltage of the main power amplifier 302 to thoseof the B auxiliary power amplifiers 303 maintains constant, therebyamplifying radio frequency signals synchronously, and keeping symmetryof the amplifier.

Optionally, the first modulator control signal and the second modulatorcontrol signal may be generated by an RRU, or the like.

It should be noted that the first modulator control signal and thesecond modulator control signal may be of a same type or of differenttypes, and may have relevant or irrelevant parameters such as amplitudesand phases. It only needs to ensure that the envelope voltages outputafter being processed by the envelope modulators 3011 and 3012 satisfy aproportional relationship, which is not limited in this embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

The foregoing output power ratio is determined by performance of powertubes selected as the main power amplifier 302 and the auxiliary poweramplifier 303, for example, if output power of a power tube used as themain power amplifier 302 is 100 watts (W), and output power of a powertube used as the auxiliary power amplifier is 200 W, the output powerratio is 1:2, and the first modulator control signal and the secondmodulator control signal are determined as required by the output powerratio such that a ratio of the first envelope voltage obtained after thefirst envelope signal is processed by the first envelope modulator 3011to the second envelope voltage obtained after the second envelope signalis processed by the second envelope modulator 3012 is also equal orapproximate to 1:2.

Optionally, the first envelope modulator 3011 may process, according toa first signal threshold, the foregoing first envelope signal to obtaina fixed voltage or a varying voltage that varies with an amplitude ofthe foregoing first envelope signal, and the second envelope modulator3012 may process, according to a second signal threshold, the foregoingsecond envelope signal to obtain a fixed voltage or a varying voltagethat varies with an amplitude of the foregoing second envelope signal.The first preset threshold and the second preset threshold may be setand adjusted independently, and may be set to a same threshold ordifferent thresholds according to a performance requirement of theamplifier, which is not limited in this embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Optionally, the first envelope signal and the second envelope signal maybe relevant signals obtained after an original envelope signal of a sameradio frequency signal is processed using different functions, and thefirst envelope voltage obtained after being processed according to thefirst envelope signal and the second envelope voltage obtained afterbeing processed according to the second envelope signal are relevantenvelope voltages.

Optionally, the first envelope signal and the second envelope signal mayalso be a same envelope signal obtained after an original envelopesignal of a radio frequency signal is processed using a preset function,and are respectively output to the first envelope modulator 3011 and thesecond envelope modulator 3012. Because signal thresholds may be setindependently for the first envelope modulator 3011 and the secondenvelope modulator 3012, the first envelope voltage and the secondenvelope voltage obtained after being processing may be a same envelopevoltage or relevant envelope voltages. Regardless of whether the same orrelevant envelope voltages are obtained after being processing, underactions of the first modulator control signal and the second modulatorcontrol signal, the first envelope voltage and the second envelopevoltage may always maintain a fixed proportional relationship.

For description brevity, for description about a detailed structure, andconnection relationships between and functions of modules of the poweramplifier provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, reference may bemade to related content of the embodiments shown in other embodiments ofthe present disclosure, which is not described herein in detail.

Using the power amplifier provided in the embodiment in FIG. 6, envelopechannels of the main power amplifier 302 and the B auxiliary poweramplifiers 303 are configured independently, the main power amplifier302 and the B auxiliary power amplifiers 303 may set and adjust theenvelope voltages separately, and meanwhile the envelope voltage ratiomatches the output power ratio of the amplifier, which has goodflexibility, and may further improve performance of the amplifier.

It may be known from description of the forgoing embodiment that,quantities of the envelope modulators and the auxiliary power amplifiersin the power amplifier provided in this embodiment of the presentdisclosure may be determined according to a system requirement, and theconnection relationships between the modules also vary correspondingly,which is not limited in this embodiment of the present disclosure. Forexample, C auxiliary power amplifiers and C+1 envelope modulators may bedisposed, where C is greater than or equal to 2, where one of the C+1envelope modulators is connected to the main power amplifier, and theremaining C envelope modulators are respectively connected to the Cauxiliary power amplifiers, that is, the envelope modulators are in aone-to-one correspondence to the auxiliary power amplifiers, and eachenvelope modulator may be controlled independently. For another example,similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, C auxiliary power amplifiersand two envelope modulators may be disposed, where C is greater than orequal to 2, where one envelope modulator is connected to the main poweramplifier, and the other envelope modulator is connected to the Cauxiliary power amplifiers simultaneously, for providing an operatingvoltage for the C auxiliary power amplifiers, or one envelope modulatoris connected to the main power amplifier and some of the auxiliary poweramplifiers, and the other envelope modulator is connected to theremaining auxiliary power amplifiers. That is, it only needs to ensurethat operating voltages of a main power amplifier and auxiliary poweramplifiers are all provided by envelope voltages output by envelopemodulators, and a ratio of an operating voltage of the main poweramplifier to those of the auxiliary power amplifiers corresponds to anoutput power ratio.

As shown in FIG. 7, an embodiment of the present disclosure furtherprovides an RRU, including a power amplifier 401. The power amplifier401 may be the power amplifier shown in any embodiment of FIG. 1 to FIG.6 or an apparatus having a same function. For description about aninternal structure and function of the power amplifier 401, referencemay be made to other embodiments of the present disclosure, which is notdescribed herein in detail.

The RRU may further include a processor 402 configured to extract anoriginal envelope signal of a radio frequency signal to be amplified,process the original envelope signal using a preset function, to obtainan envelope signal, and output the envelope signal to the poweramplifier 401. The power amplifier 401 processes the envelope signal toobtain an envelope voltage, which is used as an operating voltage of thepower amplifier 401.

Optionally, the processor 402 may further be configured to generate amodulator control signal and output the modulator control signal to thepower amplifier 401, where the modulator control signal may be used tocontrol an amplitude of the foregoing envelope voltage.

Optionally, when the power amplifier 401 includes a first envelopemodulator connected to a main power amplifier, and a second envelopemodulator connected to an auxiliary power amplifier, the processor 402may be configured to generate a first modulator control signalcorresponding to the first envelope modulator, and a second modulatorcontrol signal corresponding to the second envelope modulator. Fordetails, reference may be made to description of the embodiment shown inFIG. 6, which is not described herein in detail.

The processor 402 may communicate with the power amplifier 401 directlyor indirectly.

It may be understood that the foregoing processor 402 may be disposedindependently, or a function thereof may also be integrated in anexisting functional module, for example, an intermediate frequencymodule or a transceiver module, of the RRU, which is not limited in thisembodiment of the present disclosure. During an actual implementation,the function of the processor 402 may be integrated on a baseband chip.

The RRU may further include a communications interface 403 configured tocommunicate with another apparatus, for example, a baseband unit (BBU)in a base station directly or indirectly.

Optionally, the communications interface 403 may be a common publicradio interface (CPRI), an open base station architecture initiative(OBSAI) interface, or the like.

Connection manners of the power amplifier 401, the processor 402, andthe communications interface 403 are not limited. As shown in FIG. 7,the power amplifier 401, the processor 402, and the communicationsinterface 403 may be connected using a communications bus 404 for signaltransmission.

For clear and brief description, this embodiment of the presentdisclosure uses a power amplifier 401 disposed in an RRU fordescription. A person skilled in the art may understand that the poweramplifier 401 may also be disposed in another similar radio frequencyfunctional module, which is not limited in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 8, an embodiment of the present disclosure furtherprovides a base station, including an RRU 501 and a BBU 502. The RRU 501may be the RRU shown in the embodiment of FIG. 7 or a device having asame function, and the RRU 501 and the BBU 502 may communicate directlyor indirectly.

Using the RRU or the base station provided in this embodiment of thepresent disclosure, a main power amplifier and an auxiliary poweramplifier that are used in a power amplification part both use anenvelope voltage output by an envelope modulator as operating voltages,and the envelope voltage is a fixed voltage when an envelope signal isless than a preset threshold such that the power amplifier operates inan ordinary Doherty amplifier mode, or the envelope voltage varies withan amplitude of the envelope signal when the envelope signal is greaterthan a preset threshold such that the power amplifier operates in anenvelope tracking Doherty amplifier mode. Because the operating voltagesof the main power amplifier and the auxiliary power amplifier may beadjusted simultaneously, symmetry of the power amplifier is improved,and there is a low probability that an efficiency loss occurs. Using anefficiency advantage of a Doherty amplifier under power back-off, and incombination with an envelope tracking technology, saturation power ofpower amplification is improved, thereby enhancing efficiency of thepower amplifier. Particularly, in an operating state in which a signalof high power and of a high peak-to-average ratio is amplified, highefficiency may be reached.

It may be understood that various proper modifications may be made by aperson of ordinary skill in the art to quantities of envelope modulatorsand auxiliary power amplifiers of a power amplifier and to correspondingconnection relationships according to description of the embodiments ofthe present disclosure, without creative efforts, and shall fall withinthe protection scope of the present disclosure.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, itshould be understood that the disclosed device and method may beimplemented in other manners. For example, the described apparatusembodiment is merely exemplary. For example, the module division ismerely logical function division and may be other division in actualimplementation. For example, a plurality of modules or components may becombined or integrated into another device, or some features may beignored or not performed.

In addition, functional modules in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be integrated into one processing module, or each of themodules may exist alone physically, or two or more modules areintegrated into one module.

A person of ordinary skill in the art may understand that all or some ofthe steps of the embodiments may be implemented by hardware or a programinstructing related hardware. The program may be stored in acomputer-readable storage medium. The storage medium may include aread-only memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disc.

Finally, it should be noted that the foregoing embodiments are merelyintended for describing the technical solutions of the presentdisclosure, but not for limiting the present disclosure. Although thepresent disclosure is described in detail with reference to theforegoing embodiments, persons of ordinary skill in the art shouldunderstand that they may still make modifications to the technicalsolutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalentreplacements to some or all technical features thereof, withoutdeparting from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodimentsof the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A power amplifier comprising: an envelopemodulator; a main power amplifier; and an auxiliary power amplifier,wherein the envelope modulator is connected separately to a drainelectrode of the main power amplifier, a drain electrode of theauxiliary power amplifier, a gate electrode of the main power amplifier,and a gate electrode of the auxiliary power amplifier, wherein theenvelope modulator is configured to: obtain an envelope voltageaccording to a received envelope signal, wherein the envelope voltage isfixed when the received envelope signal is less than a preset threshold;and output the envelope voltage separately to the drain electrode of themain power amplifier and the drain electrode of the auxiliary poweramplifier, wherein the main power amplifier is connected to the envelopemodulator, wherein the main power amplifier is configured to, in anoperating state: use the envelope voltage received from the envelopemodulator as an operating voltage; and perform amplification processingon a signal input from a source electrode of the main power amplifier,wherein the auxiliary power amplifier is connected in parallel to themain power amplifier and is connected to the envelope modulator, andwherein the auxiliary power amplifier is configured to, in an operatingstate: use the envelope voltage received from the envelope modulator asan operating voltage; and perform amplification processing on a signalinput from a source electrode of the auxiliary power amplifier.
 2. Thepower amplifier of claim 1, wherein the envelope modulator is furtherconfigured to output the envelope voltage separately to the gateelectrode of the main power amplifier and the gate electrode of theauxiliary power amplifier.
 3. The power amplifier of claim 1, whereinthe envelope voltage is a varying voltage or a fixed voltage, andwherein the envelope voltage is such that when an amplitude size of thereceived envelope signal reaches a maximum value allowed by the poweramplifier, the envelope voltage has a corresponding maximum value. 4.The power amplifier of claim 1, wherein the power amplifier furthercomprises an upconverter connected separately to the source electrode ofthe main power amplifier and the source electrode of the auxiliary poweramplifier, and wherein the upconverter is configured to: convert a radiofrequency signal to a signal within a same operating frequency range asthat of the main power amplifier and that of the auxiliary poweramplifier; and output a signal obtained after conversion separately tothe main power amplifier and the auxiliary power amplifier.
 5. The poweramplifier of claim 1, wherein the power amplifier further comprises animpedance transformation network connected separately to an output endof the main power amplifier and an output end of the auxiliary poweramplifier, and wherein the impedance transformation network isconfigured to provide a phase difference between the main poweramplifier and the auxiliary power amplifier.
 6. The power amplifier ofclaim 1, wherein the power amplifier further comprises a power dividerconnected separately to the source electrode of the main power amplifierand the source electrode of the auxiliary power amplifier, and whereinthe power divider is configured to: divide a radio frequency signal intotwo signals; and output the two signals separately to the main poweramplifier and the auxiliary power amplifier.
 7. The power amplifier ofclaim 1, wherein the received envelope signal is obtained after anoriginal envelope signal of the radio frequency signal is processedusing a preset function.
 8. The power amplifier of claim 1, wherein theenvelope voltage varies with an amplitude of the received envelopesignal when the received envelope signal is greater than the presetthreshold.
 9. The power amplifier of claim 1, wherein the poweramplifier operates in a Doherty amplifier mode when the receivedenvelope signal is less than the preset threshold, and wherein the poweramplifier operates in an envelope tracking (ET) amplifier Dohertyamplifier mode when the received the envelope signal is greater than thepreset threshold.
 10. The power amplifier of claim 1, wherein operatingvoltages of the main power amplifier and the auxiliary power amplifierare simultaneously adjustable.